Apple has today unveiled its new iOS 5 operating system for iPhone and iPad, offering more than 200 new features including improved notifications and Twitter integration.

Due to be released this autumn, iOS 5 introduces the Notification Center as a single platform for viewing and managing alerts, such as text messages, missed calls, calendar dates, apps and more.

It also includes iMessage, a new messaging system presumably designed to take on Research In Motion's popular BlackBerry Messenger. iMessage enables users to more easily send text messages, as well as share photos and videos between all other devices running iOS.

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Newsstand is a "bookshelf" facility for displaying the covers of newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Positioned as a new section of the App Store, Newsstand allows users to browse a range of subscription titles, as well as automatically access new issues of their chosen publications.

iOS 5 more directly integrates Twitter, meaning users can sign in and tweet directly from all Twitter-enabled apps, including photos, Safari, YouTube and maps.

The operating system will work alongside Apple's new iCloud system, which enables users to access mail, contacts, calendars, photos, apps, books, music and more from the cloud.

"iOS 5 has some great new features, such as Notification Center, iMessage and Newsstand and we can't wait to see what our developers do with its 1,500 new APIs," said Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive.

"Perhaps iOS 5's paramount feature is that it's built to seamlessly work with iCloud in the Post PC revolution that Apple is leading."

Other new features include AirPlay Mirroring for wirelessly displaying everything done on the iPad 2 on high definition television screens via Apple TV.

The Game Center app, launched last September, has been improved to make it easier to purchase games, add photos to user profiles and find friends.

A beta version of iOS 5 has been made available today for iOS Developer Program members. iOS 5 will be launched as a free software update for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch (third and fourth generations) this autumn.